L’Oréal Paris's Makeup Genius is Bringing Us into a New Era of Beauty

When L’Oréal Paris recently launched their Makeup Genius app, they explained, It’s not just virtual—it’s augmented reality. Hesitant to jump down the rabbit hole of selfies, I somewhat reluctantly downloaded the app. And I quickly learned that L’Oréal Paris is leading the charge for a new breakthrough in the way we look at beauty, shopping, cosmetic application, and, of course, technology. In short, the app’s last name is Genius for a reason.

Similar to developing a 3-D movie, special technology had to be used to ensure realistic effects. After more than seven years of research, RT Track 64 facial-tracking-algorism technology was patented, delivering the most precise facial recognition through a live mirror camera. You can move your lips and bat your lashes, and your virtual makeup will stay on. Being a skeptic prior to testing out the app, I can now say with confidence (after sufficiently testing and testing and testing—for “work” and for play) that I’ve never seen anything like this.

In fact, I forced a few of my fellow V.F.-ers (both male and female) to test out the different looks, too. That way, I wouldn’t be the only one in awe of the technology. Not only does the look move along with your face, it's intuitive enough to discern between the skin of the lips, eyes, and other facial contours, allowing the virtual makeup to move with you as you turn your head, change your facial expression, and test out new looks at various angles and in shifting lighting conditions. Simply put, you can now test out the colors virtually and make your purchase without ever having to go to the store.

Is this a new era in beauty? It would be impossible to say no. The future of beauty, says Guive Balooch—the global director of the Connected Beauty Incubator at L’Oréal Research and Innovation—“lies in the virtual-reality experience and will be a new and powerful way in how our consumers try on products. The goal is to empower all our consumers around the world, with science, to try on any L’Oréal product.” In 1967, John Lennon said that all you need is love. But times have changed. Now, all you need is a smartphone.